I headed down to the studio around 11am and Sarah was in shortly after that. We worked to get caught up, but there's a lot to do. We plan on getting in bright and early Monday morning to get it all wrapped up.

OK, that sounds like I was working, too. I was playing Warhammer most of the time while Sarah was hauling two cords of firewood.Josh showed up and we played a 2900 pt game of Warhammer: Alchemists of Chaos vs Lizardmen. Surprise ending there; it'll all be up on Youtube later. At least the first part tonight.

We got the kids dressed up and headed out good and early. It was absolutely perfect fall weather. It had rained earlier but dried up, so there was that clean smell in the air. Leaves and clean plants and fresh rain.But soon of the mountains to the south the sound of thunder, and I saw a storm front moving in at an alarming rate. In just minutes it was on us with slashing hail. I have never my whole life seen anything like it. The kids were shrieking as we armed ourselves with umbrellas and got into "tortoise" formation around the stroller and with heads down we charged the two blocks back to our house. There were flash-frozen ice floes in the gutters, clunking their way along in the opposite direction. Absolutely outstanding.

The catch was pretty light, but it was a family moment. All but K were laughing; she was being quite overly dramatic about the episode.

I took the kids to McD's as a treat while my wife went out to get groceries (including some good steaks for later). Right now, I'm home with a few of the kids while Tamie is out for another trick-or-treating run. Warm and dry.

We all like to win our games, this sometimes is harder than it looks and offers many difficulties. In this article I want to help you with some tactics to win your games in the future. These tactics are a guideline, they are not set, and of course can fail too. What I am saying is that I don’t give credit you will only win when you use these tactics. And always remember, having a fun game is more important than winning a game.

When it comes to playing a tournament there are a few things you have to keep in mind before you go there. You have to know the rules (very) well, you have to know your own codex (and you opponent’s too if possible), you need to be able to play at a certain speed to finish the game in the set time and most important you need to have fun in what you do.

While playing a game of 40K there are always a few things you have to keep in mind:

The objective à it’s easy to get carried away killing while you need to claim objectives, be sure that in turn 4 you are in such a position that you can claim them in turn 5, in turn 1-3 you want to focus the most on killing the opponent’s army to have a better chance to claim objectives.

Redundancy à ALWAYS assume you units are not going to do what they are intended for, statistically 2 meltas make a tank go “BOOM”, but since we are not playing statistics but 40K you use at least 3 meltas to kill a tank. That’s why you throw 2 units into the combat instead of 1, to be sure it works.

Fire priority à What is allowed to live for another turn? And what do you need to kill now? This is different per turn, in the first turn you want to shoot at targets you have a good chance of killing in the first turn unless there is something you HAVE to kill at that moment for whatever reason, while in turn 5 you need to clear objectives, be it of units claiming or contesting them because you need to claim to win. If you’re playing kill points kill the thing in his/her army that does the most damage (so he/she can kill less of your units), and afterwards focus on transports and infantry.

Sacrifice à Sometimes you need to sacrifice something to lure your opponent away, positioning a combat squad in such a way that it’s an easy target and you opponent attacks it with a hard unit while you can strike the rest of army pays of.

If you keep this in mind while you are playing, you already have an advantage, because you battle plan will probably be able to sustain more unsuspected things. If you’re assuming that one unit is not going to destroy the tank you won’t encounter any surprises if you only use one and it doesn’t blow. This also means that your plan is more dynamic and you can adept it to unsuspected things. Such as 10 guardsmen surviving a space marine charge and killing 3 of them.

There is no set strategy for 40K, every army has it’s own, even if you change one unit in your army the strategy for it changes, so I will not be able to tell you any strategies, you have to find them out for your own. There are however a few things that work for almost any army, and things you should (almost) always do.

One thing I can advice anyone to do is go second, always go second, so you can counter your opponents deployment and first take a look at his/her battle plan in the first turn. Another good thing to do is creating dilemmas will your opponent shoot the tank or the squad on the objective, when your opponent needs to make choices he/she starts making mistakes or needs to divert attention, which is positive for your game.

At last I will go over a tournament army list and explain the details of it, what it’s pro’s and con’s are and how it is constructed.

The following list is a 1700points Grand Tournament list used by a friend of mine who plays Word Bearer Chaos Marines. [Editor: you can buy this army on commission for $1450 everything included in up to five payments, OR have it done piecemeal at $300 per segment*]

The basis for this list is redundancy, why have one gun shoot at something when you can have three guns for the target. One misses, one doesn't wound/penetrate and the third kills something, hopefully.

The fire support is mobile, for the most part. The Terminators and defilers walk forward on the sides of the board. A crossfire attempting to get side armour shots. Autocannons against the vehicles, even with the defilers; a battlecannon has only one shot at hitting, penetrating and damage result, a reaper autocannon has two shots, twin linked, giving it a good chance to hit. And you sill roll two dice for penetration, only now they both have a chance to penetrate, though they are lacking 1 strength. So obviously don't use it against armour value 13 or 14. The predator is there to control a fire lane.

The marines are the meat of the force, two units of 10, with 3 meltaguns/combimeltas. These are the work horses. Killing infantry squads and vehicles with AV 13-14. The smaller squads are suicide squads, killing something and getting killed in return. I find it helps that when you have a suicidal situation, you have already decided which unit will take one for the team.

The rhinos are possessed, an expensive upgrade, one I wouldn't really recommend, were it not for the lovely situation that you can always shoot out of the fire point. Not having to get out to fire your meltas means that squad stands a chance not getting charged that turn.

The Chaos Lord is in there because I needed a HQ and a Dark Apostle is quite iconic for the Word Bearers. Is it a heavy hitter? Kind of. Is it worth its points? Probably not.

I hope you liked it and found it useful.

Martijn BTP Correspondent from the Netherlands

With the help of Ben for the army list

*Options:

Save $100 by giving artistic license

Contact bluetablepainting@gmail.com for questions or to make an order. We will paint to specification. We can change armament or tweak the list as well.

Shawn Gately of BTP fame has proposed the idea of “Power Core” armys. The basic thought is that for 8th edition Warhammer, army's should have the majority of their composition (2000 pts out of 2500) core choices and basic troopers. Like any new idea, we need to play it out plenty of times and respectfully analyze how we think this will work and how it actually plays for varying generals.

Here’s my initial impressions: Mixed feelings.

Armys like Empire, Orcs, Skaven, Beastmen and to a certain extent Lizards, Elves, Bretts, can easily see the benefits of fielding a lot of points of core choices. These armies (in general) lack superior fighting and durability that their elite cousins (including special/rare choices from the same book) dish out. Power core uses the infantry rules to their greatest potential. Hordes can fight in 3 ranks. Also, with step up, slower units get the chance to dish back the hurt and add some causalities on their side for combat resolution. We can shoot in two ranks, doubling shots fired and minimizing frontages; steadfast makes what once used to be mediocre troops actually hold combats with greater potential. Example: Very few “elite” units (say 20 phoenix guard or 20 Warriors of Chaos) would fear negative outcomes for charging into 10 empire halberd state troopers, but increasing their numbers to a horde of 40-50 drastically changes the power that this unit is worth.

Power core is great for cheaper armies because it gives them wiggle room for mistakes. An army of elites can’t risk units as much as say a Skaven or and Orc force. High Elves, Wood Elves, Deamon, and Warriors of Chaos players need to make smart decisions about charging and charging positions against outnumbering armies. One mistake with key units can easily swing into the larger forces favor. (Example: Bloodletters needed to break a unit of orcs and pursuit outside of the arcs of possible flanking forces but because of the avaibility of steadfast, the orcs have a better chance of holding, thus possibly destroying the Bloodletters in combat resolution with flank charges next turn whereas if the same orc player dropped one of his blocks in a sacrifice charge to clear room on the field or simply shave down wounds/redirect a certain unit, the Orcs still have more bodies and units to continue the attack.) Even with lower leadership and random elements like Animosity, having more units than the opponent can be quite the advantage in terms of position and tempo of the game. But like everything in wargaming, there are cons to the pros.

Massed frontage does have its drawbacks. Terrain can cause plenty of issues and causalities (Damn you Blood Forest!) and more inexperienced players may often find their mass of models daunting . “Horde” armies are tricky to deploy and movement can lead to lots of congestion on the battlefield resulting into missed opportunities in the game because of the crowded positioning.

But I want to end my general thoughts on a brighter note. The one really cool thing I see about Power Core builds for Empire, Orcs, and even Warriors of Chaos is the fact that they have units that perform in all phases as core choices. These lists can take archers, cavalry, and differing levels of standard foot infantry at a cheaper rate than special and rare choice units, and being core, there is almost unlimited amount of your build percentage can be dedicated to them. Sadly you are forced to bring at least a Hero level general. What a drag. But having that much flexibility in core choices in key in composing a cohesive fighting force.

On the proposed Wood Elf Power Core Glade Guard: Here it is bluntly. It’s a one trick pony. Gately (the guy who came up with this theory) is using a certain Wood Elf build as the back bone of Power Core. The build is loosely 11 units of 12 archers with Muso along with whatever little goodies you can fit in. WARNING: MATH-HAMMER IS ABOUT TO COMMENCE: That’s 132 shots a turn. That’s a lot of dice. At say, 4+s to hit because of long range, 66 hits against T3 opponents is 33 wounds. Being “generous” I’ll give the pin cushion a 6+ armor save meaning about 27 die a turn. That’s a lot of figs. T4, it only causes 22 wounds with a 6+ armor save kills about 18 or 19 guys. A TURN! That’s like point, click, delete. Of course this isn’t 100% because of dice and game features. Also in favor of the Woodies, units may panic and run off the board after taking friends with them, a game feature which is not indicated by the strict causality equation.

But all an opponent has to do is run up 1 or 2 successful charges with something fast to start chomping away at T3 meat puppets. And you thought cavalry was dead. The WEPC build probably excels in missions like 2 and 3. Because of how most of the units are completely identical, there is less pressure put on deployment order in the line and I’m sure the most inexperienced player that just started yesterday can figure out why a fast gun line that can move and shoot without penalty would love playing with the space in between the starting lines AND the space behind for the elves to retreat. In missions like 4, 5, and 6, Gately’s should really struggle against any balanced force from any army. Because of the lack of standards, to win mission 4, all anyone has to do is pit enough power to murder the Wood elf general. Warmachines and Death magic will ruin the wood elf army in mission 4. Mission 5 is very tricky because of the deployment possibilities. Most armies will want to deploy on the starting line and close in as soon as possible. Taking 3 turns of full shooting will ruin anybodies day, but pushing strong flanks will usually help close in on the elves. And in terms of mission six, because wood elves are a lot more fragile, taking them from the buildings shouldn’t be as tough as other units, but on the same note, they will shoot up the building with the enemy in it, demolishing anything that was garrisoning the building. This game is all about timing, having the right units in place to occupy the building turn 6.

Most builds have multiple answers to attack the line quickly. Because the Wood Elf Power Core build is not meant for melee, choosing successful combat match-ups shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It might take a flyer sac or losing a redirecting unit or two of light cav, but once archer line is hit, the WEPC are taking causalities, panic checks, and fewer shots fired next turn because of held combats. Remember: Friendly units in combat cannot get shot at by the remaining archers so get into combat quickly!

Here’s the list I came up with using the Power Core Theme. I kept in the 11 units of 12 archers and added two characters and two units of Treekin. Note here: 11 units of Glade Guard is a lot of points: 1650/2500 or 66%. But that is still not a whopping 2000 pts of pure core troops. Spellweaver has Hail of Doom and lore of Life to boost up the elves in toughness keeping the units in danger a lot more durable. T5 elves ruin your day. Spellsinger is to combat the oncoming forces use of terrain. The opposing force will take any cover possible to get the neg 1 or neg 2 to shooting. Because they can move forests up to 4 inches, that canhelp negate any modifiers fast cavalry or upcoming forces were taking advantage of in their positioning. Magic is before shooting meaning the Wood elf player doesn’t have to anticipate or predict their opponent’s movements. They can just take the cover right from under them before they start shooting. Treekin are tough. Really tough. I would use them to block the hardest hitting units. The wood elves would probably save them last for alternating deployment to best place the Treekin to intercept on coming pain and to keep the archers alvive and kicking for turns to come. Dryads might have worked just as well as the treekin. They are tougher than elves, cheaper than Treekin, and have more flexibility in the movement phase because of the Skirmisher special rule.

I’ll admit I am not a wood elf player. But I am a regular patron to the Gods of Chaos. This is the list I wrote SPECIFICALLY to annihilate the WEPC list that I came up with. Normally, I wouldnt bring along something this extreme (but it might be fun) to a tournament or even a pick up game. 5 units of Marauder horsemen aren’t necessarily a real problem for the glade guards 1 gazillion shots, but incorporating terrain features and threatening sooner charges makes them a target priority. Even if all 5 Horsemen units die, it allows the rest of my army to waltz up with less possible harm thanks to the distractions. I also field 3 units of Chaos knights, which basically double the speed of chaos warriors (again, trying to get into combats sooner to limit the power of the opposing force.) 1 Unit has the mark of Tzeench given the Blasted Standard which gives the unit a 5+ ward save from shooting and magical missles. Tzeenchs betters your ward save by 1, meaning those knights have 1+ armor followed by 4+ ward. The other knights, like the rest of the army are mark of Nurgle, meaning even at close range the archers are only hitting on 4+. Then theres the 55 chaos warriors with shield and Nurgle. If the whole glade guard force focused on just the warriors, they kill 30 in 6 turns (assuming long range hence S3). Because the knights were very expensive, I decided to drop a lot of special characters or magic users and just play a very aggressive and durable force to go straight up the guts. The general is on a disc so if he sees an excellent chance to snipe out a character or hit an unsuspecting unit, he has more flexibility. But, since he can't join units, He will most likely die from the archers.

Now, this is not saying that the WEPC army is useless. It has weaknesses, but if it is played correctly, it will definitely be a contending force for both casual and tournament environments. Many cunning generals will be able to really maximize the movement and shooting without penalty along with tree singing. The list is really effective when it can pick the important targets to demolish and set up the line to be the most effective in the shooting and phase that still doesn’t necessarily allow for an easy mop up when the enemy finally does make contact. I wouldn’t be surprised if seasoned wood elf players can continue to run away and avoid charges whilst shooting just as effectively. Many people may also be caught off guard in a tournament because of the sheer uniqueness of the build.

Simply put: power core isn’t for every play style or army. It maybe shouldn’t ever be used in the extreme case of 2000/2500 pts. What is for sure is that basic troopers have an upper hand in the game now. We do need to start fielding more basic troopers instead of relying on 1 or 2 super units to win games for us. Also, as a community, the exploration of army writing is a blessing. We no longer have slots. The percentage system really gives more flexibility than limitations for the most part and we need to explore all sorts of different avenues when it comes to army composition. Also, if you enjoy playing “weaker” armies or lists, go for it. It will make you a better general if you have to consider more weaknesses than strengths during your gaming. This wood elf list might at first glance seem all powerful or complete garbage depending on play style and demographics, but it’s up to the commanding player as to actually how effective it will be. I personally can’t wait to see these two armies in action (give me 2 weeks or so to get the game in. Who knows, maybe a video battle report?) I will be tickled pink if my list of ultimate wood elf archer destruction is completely slain by the Woodies.

After visiting a local tournament I got inspired to write something about terrain, it’s use, what it adds and everything related.

Last week I visited a tournament, and I was shocked by the terrain they had, it was crap to say the least. Only the two top-tables had nice terrain and a Citadel Battleboard. I am not saying that all 50 tables should’ve had a battleboard (although that would’ve been nice), that just is too expensive. But terrain that is broken or worn down so much that you can see the blue or pink of the Styrofoam, that just doesn’t cut it. Especially not when it is the regional championships tournament, which is quite prestigious over here.

Battlefield terrain is something we all encounter, be it at a tournament, on your own shelf, in the local gaming club or in shops, we all see it, use it (I hope) and love it (probably). There are a few things that make battlefield terrain so important with regard to miniature wargames:

It makes the battle look more realistic

It’s nicer than a blank table

The rules for terrain affect the game, in positive and negative ways.

Terrain of course is not essential, but without your games will me much less fun. Terrain adds a certain “dynamic” to the game, it changes battle plans, it can irritate and/or help you. That’s why you never should play without terrain, even if you use books as hills, glasses as rocks and plates as forests, then you have terrain.

The real plus of self-made terrain is that it can complement your army, because a Tomb Kings army with it’s own desert terrain is just cool to see, or an empire army with it’s own settlement, it complements your collection and makes it more than just an army, it adds ”narrative”.

There are a few ways to get realistic terrain, you can make it yourself from scratch, which is very satisfying once you completed something, it’s just like finishing a squad or regiment of your miniatures when you finish that hill or add the last flock to your forest.

You can buy pre-fabricated terrain, Games-Workshop makes some really nice terrain kits, you only need to assemble and paint yourself that can create amazing things (Fortress of Redemption, Witchfate Tor but also Citadel Woods).

And you can commission terrain, this is the easiest option because you only have to do 2 things, 1) decide what you want and commission it, 2) pay for it. And in a few weeks time you will have the most amazing set of terrain to go with your army and use in your battles.

But besides that terrain looks nice and it adds narrative to your games it is also useful in the game itself, because what would be a Tyranid army without cover saves to claim. What would be a game of fantasy without some arcane ruins buffing your mage, or some impassable terrain to chase your enemy into.

So get your hobby spirit up and get to work, be it making your own terrain or commissioning it, either way make sure you have decent terrain to play on.

..Are the numbers right here?My only objection here is that they say "Obama". Presidents for the last thirty years have pursued the same basic monetary policy. Same shenanigans overall for a hundred years. It's so ingrained that we alive today can't even imagine how it would be without the yoke on. Born into mental slavery.

You get two shots of free shipping for Forge World stuff (we will cover for shipping, but you cover models).

Multiple people can get together for one of these, but there needs to be a spokesperson. The other people can get credited whatever the agreed amount is, but I need to deal with just one person. So, if Fred Jones is the spokesperson for the group, he passes along Instructions and sets things up by proxy, and tells me shipping addresses. However, if Fred skips town, other people involved retain their credits as long as this is A) set up beforehand (ie it's agreed who gets what and when), and B) they contact me before the models are shipped. Best to just make sure Fred is someone of impeccable character.

For example: a consortium of four people could go in at $600 each and each get a $1000 credit. It is disbursed at the same rate as for a single person.

There are a few conditions. The credit is can be used for materials (ie the models/kits) but those need to be assembled and painted by BTP as part of the deal (ie you can't just have us mail you kits). Some miniatures lines are not available through this deal (eg Forge World).

If you are dis-satisfied in any way, you agree to notify us and let us make reasonable amends. This deal is subject to our normal Terms of Service in our service guide.

The normal discounts for materials are not cumulative with this credit. You pay 100%. BUT (for those that are doing the math) you get an even better discount of effectively 40% off on your materials (because you paid 60 cents on the dollar for your credit). In other words you will be getting $100 worth of kit for every $60 you paid. This same rationale holds true for armies that we put up for sale at a rate lower than we would normally charge.

You can also send your own models to be painted. You don't need to get them through BTP.

The credit can only be used for commonly available materials (for example: not Forge World).

This special is the best deal offered to date. It is not cumulative with other specials. Exceptions: L2, Tank Factory, and Artistic License (those specials are cumulative with this one). Other specials/deals or whatever work with this one only at BTP's discretion.

BTP can reasonably clarify or amend unclear areas of the deal. There are always little gremlins that get in works. We both agree to be reasonable.